March 27 (Reuters) - Sony Group ( SONY ) is raising global

prices of its PlayStation 5 consoles, including a $100 increase

in the U.S., marking its second hike in less than a year as the

Japanese firm grapples with rising costs of key components such

as memory chips.

The tech industry's race to build out artificial

intelligence infrastructure has pushed memory makers to favor

higher-margin data-center chips, tightening supply for consumer

devices. ‌

The updated U.S. prices will put the standard PS5 at

$649.99, up from $549.99. The Digital Edition will now cost

$599.99 while the high-end PS5 Pro will cost $899.99.

Prices of the PlayStation Portal remote player will also

climb to $249.99 from $199.99.

Similar increases will take effect across Europe and Japan,

following what the company described as a "careful evaluation"

of rising cost pressures in global supply chains.

Analysts have said the console price hikes are likely to

dampen growth in the video-game market this year. "Fortnite"

maker Epic Games also cited sluggish console sales among the

reasons for the cut of 1,000 jobs it announced earlier this

week.

In the key October-December holiday quarter, sales of Sony's ( SONY )

PlayStation 5 fell 16% from a year earlier to 8 million units.

The console has been on the market for around six years.

Sony ( SONY ) last raised PS5 prices by around $50 in the U.S. in

August last year. Microsoft ( MSFT ) also raised prices of its console,

the Xbox, last year.